Beyond Quasiequilibrium Theory

Abstract

In this final chapter we discuss results for semiconductor lasers and amplifiers that go beyond the quasiequilibrium assumption made in the previous chapters. First, in Sec. 11-1 we outline a microscopic theory for semiconductor lasers that treats both the light field and the carrier system quantum mechanically. This approach applies nonequilibrium quantum mechanical (Green’s function) techniques to derive a set of coupled equations for the light field and carrier distribution functions. It allows us to analyze the stationary and dynamical responses of the interacting photon and electron-hole systems in semiconductor lasers and amplifiers including many-body effects of the electron-hole plasma and the photon system.

A rate equation analysis of the effects of spontaneous emission coupling on semiconductor laser operation can be found in Yamamoto, Y., S. Machida, and G. Bjork(1991), Phys. Rev. A44, 657.ADSGoogle Scholar